6,000 sign petition to support Gay-Straight Alliance for Chambersburg

CHAMBERSBURG - Thomas McCalmont, 20, of Roxbury, is now a student at Shippensburg University. In 2010, he graduated from Chambersburg Area Senior High School.

Just after the Chambersburg school board voted 5-4 on Feb. 27 to deny students the right to form a Gay-Straight Alliance at the school, McCalmont launched an online petition to request that the board reconsider.

As of Wednesday night, he said, that petition had garnered 6,000 signatures.

"I honestly don't know how they board will go," McCalmont said. "But almost 6,000 signatures on the petition should give them some idea of how many people in the community are in support of the club.

In addition to launching the petition, McCalmont also sent a note to the five board members who voted against the club - Stanley Helman, Fred Rice, Joe Tosten, Norman Blowers and Carl Barton - asking them to reconsider.

The SU student's note is hardly the only nudge the board has received asking for a reversal. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Harrisburg-based group Equality PA have sent a letter on behalf of the students who requested the club. The letter states that the board's decision is in violation of federal law. Failure to reverse the decision by Friday will lead to legal action, it said.

Advertisement

McCalmont, who said he was the victim of intense bullying during his time in the Chambersburg district, said the Gay-Straight Alliance club could go a long way toward easing a corrosive environment in which some students punish others for being "different" in any way.

"I would like to see the club become a reality," he said. "If the board changes its position, it would be a smart decision, for the safety of its students and for sake of taxpayers, who pay for the school's legal defense."

The club would be there to help the students, he said.

"It would provide them with support from other LGBT kids and from others, help them cope with bullying," he said.

McCalmont said he frequently bullied in school. Today, bullying is still an issue, especially for students who do not have a lot of friends, no peer support, and no family support, he said.

"High school is a very turbulent time for anybody," he said. "The way CASHS handled bullying when I was there was really not efficient. ... For example, one school board member said there was only one incident of bullying relating to sexual orientation reported. But students are afraid to report incidents because they fear retaliation, and they fear the school will do nothing."

He said he had more than 300 cases of bullying just on himself.

"It got me down, but I had some friends and had that support, and I'm thankful for that. However, there were times when I considered suicide. That's hard to say, but it's true," he said. "A lot of people don't realize it's going on because they're not actively looking for it. If it's not directly affecting them or they're not looking for it, it's invisible."

He said he got involved in the issue of the club and the district's reaction to it because he is "about" social justice in general, populations at risk, whether the issue is gender, race, religion, or any other minority status. McCalmont said he also sees a hint of something positive in the 5-4 vote.

"Just a few years back, when I was in CASHS, the question wouldn't have even come up for a vote. I am so proud of the students and faculty that were able to make it this far," he said.

As for his own brutal time in high school:

"A lot people from high school have come up to me and apologized, knowing what I went through," he said. "I forgave the people who hurt me. I took that and made it into motivation to make a change in the world."

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story

Sufjan Stevens, "Carrie & Lowell" (Asthmatic Kitty) Plucked strings and pulsing keyboards dominate the distinctive arrangements on Sufjan Stevens' latest album, and in the absence of a rhythm section, they serve to keep time. Full Story